I found myself in need of a protection dog that could also be highly social as I have a large extended family with small kids and close friends. I reached out to Specialty Dog Training and found Graham and Nicole to be exceptional at placement of Loki with me, asking and answering questions, to which I had many, and just comforting when it came to the transition of bringing Loki home. A friend asked me, "it must be different having a working dog verses a dog as a pet." I replied, "you're right. It's absolutely the BEST of both worlds! Loki has become a best friend, as well as a protector for me and my family. I could not be happier. And since working dogs are so incredibly intelligent and quick learners it's been such an incredible transition and time shared." I will come back again for sure, but hopefully not for many, many years. read more

Specialty Dog Training - Loki looking for squirrels - Pet Training Near Me - Oceanside, California

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I give this place ten stars! I received, Thor a Level III protection day this past Monday. Thor is love able, impeccably trained and very happy. Graham, Garrick and the entire staff have done an outstanding job! I finally feel safe at home knowing that Thor will protect me should anything happen. I highly recommend Speciality Dog Training. Thank you very much! read more

Specialty Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Oceanside, California

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I cannot recommend Shawn from Specialty Dog Training highly enough. Even though we were not in the same location, she went above and beyond to help me and my two dogs, Camote and Mash. Shawn took the time to carefully evaluate some inappropriate behaviors my dogs have been exhibiting. Her insights into the root causes of the behaviors were incredibly helpful in understanding my dogs better. Based on her assessment, she worked with me to create a customized plan to set my dogs up for success. Shawn is an extremely knowledgeable and gifted dog trainer. She asked thoughtful questions to understand my dogs' personalities, home environment, and daily routines. She then offered practical, compassionate suggestions tailored specifically to my dogs' needs. I am confident that with Shawn's plan, my dogs and I will succeed. I am so grateful to have found such a phenomenal trainer who sincerely cares about the well-being of my dogs. Shawn has been an invaluable source of guidance. Her patience, wisdom, and wealth of experience are remarkable. I cannot thank her enough for empowering me with the tools I need to help my dogs thrive. I would recommend Shawn to anyone looking for insightful, compassionate training assistance. She is simply outstanding at what she does. read more

Got my Logan back before the new year and couldn't be more pleased with the outcome. Logan is a 4yr old Weimaraner who had quite a few hurdles to overcome ranging from separation anxiety, aggression towards other dogs and difficulties socializing, is extremely stubborn and has a very active mind/nose that got him in trouble time and time again. Given his behavioral traits and challenges it made it very difficult to go anywhere with other people/dogs and to have company over with him being so overbearing and attention dominant. This made us feel like we were trapped inside a bubble. That all changed after 4 weeks with Graham and his wonderful team. Logan can now intermingle with other dogs, come /sit/stay on command, demonstrates patience and restraint and has a genuine desire to continue learning and pleasing. He is exponentially more happy and now possesses a distinct maturity that has freed us up to do a number of different activities we were never able to do. Its like he came back a completely new dog yet retained all the fun-loving, goofy and loyal traits we always loved him for. His off leash skills and ability to block out distractions are pretty impeccable IMHO. Truly night and day while no longer be a significant source of anxiety and frustrations. Added bonus (likely equally important), Specialty Training has taught and empowered my wife and I to be far better owners than we knew we could ever be. Eternally grateful . read more

Specialty Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Oceanside, California

God Bless Kindred Spirits. I've known them since the '80's when I was a Board Member and eventually a reluctant President of The Board. (And, "Yes", Animal Rescue Work IS the same as " Dog Years ". Each year actually equals 7 years! LOL). Despite the humans, this group survived and thrived. They have a continued Life now. They have helped me, and so many others, with our individual Dogs. A New Love in the form of a 60 Pound Puppy has Blessed my Life. However he is a Horse and an adolescent teenager in a Boxer/Great Dane/Lab body!!!! OMG! They will get us through this phase. Give them a call ! read more

Specialty Dog Training - Buddy. - Pet Training Near Me - Oceanside, California

I just wanna to say that, even though we didn't go with this company for Dog our Training Mrs.Callie Espinoza was wonderful, their support and understanding was great. It's rare to find great customer service, or people that really care about your pet. We would've definitely gone with them, but it wasn't just my decision and other factors. read more

Our newly adopted Australian Cattle dog was a busy little guy. He needed some training that we were not equipped to give him. We signed him up for the 4 week course and he is so relaxed now. He walks really well on a leash, he obeys commands and he is no longer resource guarding. We highly recommend sending your dog to SDT! read more

Specialty Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Oceanside, California

Danielle and the team at Speciality Dog Training changed our lives. We were at a complete loss with how to deal with our out of control one-year old rescue. Unlike any dog either of us has ever had - Brodie had unyielding high energy, leash aggression, and was frequently biting us, lunging at others and was overall out of control. Walks would end with two frustrated (and often crying) humans. In our initial call, Callie listened to our frustrated description of Brodie's behavior, and she walked us through what training would look like at Boot Camp and what skills he would gain. There was a 3 month waiting list to start the 4-week camp. We are so glad that we signed him up when we did. Not only was it worth the wait, but it was worth every penny. Danielle is a skilled and compassionate trainer. She installed an "off-switch" in our wild one, and he is now attentive, obedient, and controllable. We are forever grateful! And, in our follow up sessions Danielle trained us! We now feel confident in reinforcing his training, and how to handle his personality in different situations with the skills that she taught him (and us). Brodie is still very high energy, but we now have the right tools for us all to live our best lives. We were nervous about sending our dog off for four weeks. He is a shelter rescue, and we didn't want him to feel abandoned. But, every interaction with the team at Speciality Dog Training made us feel confident that he was in skilled, loving and excellent hands. The videos that we received each week from Danielle showing us his progress blew us away! Every step of the way we felt encouraged that we had made the right decision. Our daily walks are a whole new joyful experience. We need to make shirts that say "We took our dog to Speciality Dog Training," so that the people on the trails that saw his before behavior can know that we didn't do this ourselves. We called in the professionals! We are so glad that we did. 10/10 recommend. read more

This place is so amazing! I was worried Penny would hate it as much as she hates the vet but she loved going there and seeing her trainer, Cassie. Penny is a 2 year old boxer mix we rescued when she was 2 months old. She has A LOT of energy and destroyed our yard and many legos. We brought her in for the 6 week training including e collar work. The change is phenomenal. She listens and can be out in the neighborhood with all the other dogs and people without running zoomies around everyone. She listens to all the commands and will stay on place or at stay until we release her. One note, she came back a fully trained dog but there was still a lot of work (20-30 mins a day for 2 weeks) associated with getting her used to answering the commands at home. We're still working on a few issues but we are thrilled with her progress. Highly recommend - ask for Cassie she was amazing! read more

Specialty Dog Training - Penny the dog - Pet Training Near Me - Oceanside, California

Nicole is absolutely amazing in every way! She truly cares for the dogs and their new owners. Her dog-to-owner transfers are smooth and stress-free. Flawless! I would recommend Nicole and Specialty Dog Training without a single reservation. Thank you, Nicole, for being so great at what you do and loving and caring these amazing dogs that are so well-rounded in every way. I love my baby Captain! Thank you for ALL you do!!! You ARE the best!!!!! read more

Specialty Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Oceanside, California

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Thank you so much for helping bring Nyx into my life. She is a true gift. I took her home yesterday and she has been an absolute dream dog. So sweet and so forgiving of a new dog owner. Dahlton, Phil, and the entire team did an amazing job. Dahlton was not only great at training Nyx, but also very patient in his guidance throughout the handler lessons. I appreciate how much he genuinely cares about the dogs he trains and the time he dedicates in helping forge a strong bond between an owner and their dog. The whole experience, from first talking about getting a PPD with Graham to bringing her home has been surreal in the best possible way. Thank you for everyone's kindness and for what Specialty Dog Training does for others read more

Hands down worth every penny!! We have a 1 year old pure bred Belgian Malinois who we sent to a one month bootcamp. Perry was his trainer and we couldn't have asked for a better person to help train Jax. Before bootcamp Jax was constantly hyper and would destroy clothes, shoes, or anything in sight. We couldn't hardly walk him because he would pull the leash hard and run all over the place. We did teach him basic commands in German of sit, down, off, and out. But he was stubborn and would only do them when he wanted. Being a dual military couple, we struggled with finding time to really fix his habits and weren't sure how to. Also with a baby on the way, we wanted to ensure that he had proper manners with not only others, but around the house and with us. After bootcamp, Jax is a changed dog! He knows many commands, all of which he listens to when we tell him. We can go on a walk and he will walk right by our sides, with us very loosely holding the leash. We don't even need the leash anymore, but have to have it in our community. We can leave the room without having to worry about him chewing our things and can take him out on hikes-off leash- without worrying about him running away. We weren't sure what the month long bootcamp would be able to accomplish, but it was the best thing to ever happen with Jax! Perry was patient and explained how and why he did the things he did with Jax. He even still texts us to check on how Jax is doing! Jax was in the bootcamp from the end of January 2019-end of feb 2019. Here's pics of our sweet boy! read more

Specialty Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Oceanside, California

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We sent our dog to training after my sister's two dogs had gone here. We are so happy with the results and will likely be booking more advanced follow up trainings! Our trainer was Cassie and she kept us updated throughout the whole process. We definitely missed our pup while he was away, so the cute photos as well as the progress videos were great. We found ourselves looking forward to them every week! I would recommend Specialty Dog to anyone with a dog and bonus points if you book with Cassie read more

Our 4 year old German Shepard Dog was in a training camp with Cassie for 2 weeks. Our dog used to tug and bark at other dogs and we generally avoided taking our dog to places where there were other dogs might be. But after receiving Cassie's training, she now responds to the commands so well. We can take her to places with dogs and even feel comfortable walking by other dogs. Our dog walker also noticed the difference right away! We are grateful that Cassie made it possible for us to enjoy outings with our dog. read more

There really aren't enough words to express my gratitude towards Specialty Dog Training. For the past 6 years I have always known I had a "special" dog. She was very aggressive due to her fears of the world. I knew her as a lovable, sweet, cuddly girl. But to the rest of the world she was terrifying. My dog, Bear, is the perfect definition of a mutt. She's an Akita, German Shep, Pitbull, chow chow mix. These breeds have always been known to be incredibly difficult to train and handle if not done properly. I had never owned a dog before, let alone knew about different breeds and their varying personalities. 2020 was an incredible breaking point for me, as it was for many people. My dog and my parents' dog kept getting into aggressive dog fights. In total, my dog got into 5 major dog fights in the span of 6 months. I had hit my breaking point with her. I knew there was no way I'd be able to keep her if she continued down the path she was on. So, in a desperate attempt to find her help I went onto Yelp. I typically don't like taking peoples comments at face value, but most of SDT's comments were so positive. Unfortunately, none of the commenters mentioned anything about their dog being aggressive prior to being board and trained. So I took a chance and reached out. Graham, the owner of this amazing establishment, got back to me within 8 hours of me sending my message on Yelp and had me call into their offices. I spoke on the phone with Callie, who was the kindest woman. Completely understanding, compassionate, and really listened to my woes regarding my girl. The process went rather quickly after I spoke with Callie. Within a month and a half I was dropping off Bear knowing that this was it for her. If SDT couldn't help, I didn't know what I'd do. For the 8 weeks she was there, I had weekly updates (sometimes twice a week) on her progress and how she was doing overall being in a new environment. The videos I received were shocking. My scared, timid, aggressive dog was being walked by strangers. She was being walked near people, near dogs, near big items that would have typically terrified her. But she was smiling and seemed so relaxed. 2 months flew by, and by the time I got my dog back I was ready to start a new chapter with her. She, on the other hand, decided to try slipping back into old habits. When I went back to Graham with my concerns he immediately suggested bringing her back for a 2 week retraining session to teach her new hardware (hardware being her collar type). I couldn't believe it. This company had done so much for me and my sweet girl already, but now they were willing to take her back for FREE to retrain her with different hardware. At the end of those 2 weeks, I was blown away. The sweet girl I know is the one everyone else gets to see now. This dog who was petrified of the world due to deep seeded trauma was now completely trusting of me that the world isn't so terrifying. That's not to say she's perfect either. I went into this with zero expectation other than to help Bear out. She still has her moments, but they are just not comparable in any way. If you got to the bottom of this, and need to take away a single thing, let it be that you seriously consider SDT with your pet. These trainers are angels helping people reconnect with their dogs, and at the end of the day, helping dogs to finally be able to live carefree and loved. read more

Specialty Dog Training - Dog - Pet Training Near Me - Oceanside, California

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So i had planned on taking my pup to the basic puppy lessons that are offered in groups but due to Covid and everything shutting down, i decided to invest in the 3 week bootcamp with Specialty Dog Training since my dog was growing so fast and getting more and more rambunctious by the day. I paid around $2000 for 3 weeks and i can honestly say i do not think it was worth it. She learned a few things but not as much as i was hoping for. The bootcamp package also included 3 in person training lessons with the trainer after the three weeks. We did end up going to one; however, after that, the trainer we had made it very difficult to schedule the last two. So i gave up and ended up not getting my money's worth. Although, i didn't have the best experience here. I can say everyone was kind and i felt like my dog was in good hands while there. However, i feel like i just paid $2000 for a doggy daycare instead of training... read more

Too notch dogs and trainers make for the best personal protection dogs around. Highly recommended.

Amazing, wonderful, professional, resourceful, loving to our puppy, and extremely experienced. These are just some of the words I used this morning when telling a friend about our experience with Specialty Dog Training. Our experience with the folks (and results) at Specialty Dog Training was life changing for our entire family, including our amazingly loving but very high -trung, disobedient, dining room table walking, couch surfing, leash pulling, 10 month old Australian Sheppard, Jessie. After interviewing several potential training facilities that didn't seem to have the expertise we were looking for, we were referred to Graham Bloem and Specialty Dog Training by two different veterinarian offices. My family was struggling to let Jessie out of our sight for a six week board and train. Helping us through that decision we spoke with Graham. Graham's passion for dogs, his background, experience, and confidence in his team came through loud and clear. During Jessie's six week stay at Specialty Dog Training, we were lucky enough to have Daniel as her trainer. Daniel communicated with us by text 2X/week. If we had any questions, he would always make himself available by phone to chat. We received regular updates, photos and videos of her progress. In addition to Daniel I must also point out the fantastic communication we had with Graham during Jessie's stay. He made it a point to check in with us to let us know how Jessie was doing and what to expect once her stay was finished. When we dropped Jessie off at Specialty Dog Training, she was hyper, did not listen to most commands, was very loving...but on her terms, "barky" too much and too often, pulled us down the street on walks, and would run upstairs only returning if we were able to bribe her with food/treats. When Jessie came home she was calmer, walks perfectly by our side, returns when we call her, stops barking when we give the command, understands when to sit, laydown, stay in a "place", leaves items (shoes, socks, trash, etc.) alone without picking them up and no longer jumps on guests. And, she is so much happier! I suppose it is all that confidence she has now. We are still working with Jessie to continue to promote her great behavior but suffice to say we wouldn't have been able to keep her living with us had she not had this transformation from her training with Specialty Dog Training. One more note...since bringing her home we have had a couple of private lessons with Graham at our home. These lessons were more about training us, rather than training Jessie. In both instances, as soon as Jessie laid her eyes on Graham her entire body starts wiggling with joy. She couldn't wait to go up to him and share her love. It is clear that Jessie enjoyed her time at Specialty Dog Training nearly as much as we are loving the results. I can't speak highly enough about how happy we are with Graham, Daniel and the entire staff at Specialty Dog Training. read more

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Let me start by saying even though I rely heavily on a places Yelp reviews I hardly ever write any myself but this place is a game changer! My 3 1/2 year old golden Reagan knew the basic sit down stay but she really only did them when she felt like it and was super susceptible to distractions. She also started getting to the point where I couldn't take her on walks because she was barking and lunging at other dogs and she's 85 pounds of muscle just pulling me along for the ride. We signed her up for the 4 week boot camp and her original trainer Alayna started her off for the first week and then Bekah took over for the remaining 3 weeks. Bekah sent us videos throughout the weeks and I could see not only how much Reagan was learning but how happy she was! She has separation anxiety and normally when she is boarded her nose scabs up (I'm assuming from constant licking) but she came back happy as a clam! You could tell in the videos (and at pick up) that she had bonded really well with Bekah and was eager to please! Bekah was super helpful at our pick up training and answered our endless questions and gave us all the tools we need to continue Reagan's training. Coming home she was able to follow commands and stay focused even with 2 other dogs running around her! We were also able to take her for a walk and WE walked HER! Normally when my fiancé and I walk her whoever isn't holding the leash ends up several feet behind because we don't have Reagan pulling us faster but this time she walked in a heel position the whole way! She's also able to go to the office with my fiancé now and stay in her "place"! We are both sooo happy with the results and agree that this training is worth every single penny!! Thank you Bekah and Specialty Dog Training!!! UPDATE: we had our follow up training and it went great! Bekah rearranged her schedule so that we could both go (so so grateful!!!) and we really saw that the little issues we were having were because we didn't know how to correct Reagan but she knew what to do! read more

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A bit late in posting this review but we loved dealing with the folks at Specialty Dog Training. We had picked out a dog through their website that we wanted to take with us on trips in our RV. Not always being familiar with some of the places we were camping at, we wanted to make sure we had protection. My husband, a veteran, has disabilities and so we asked Graham to train the dog to help my husband. A few weeks later, he contacted us and stated that the dog we wanted would not be a good fit but had several others that we could choose from. He gave us our pick but we told him that he was better educated on the dogs' temperaments and personalities so we asked him to pick the dog that would be able to provide the protection we were looking for and also be able to help my husband when he needed it. He called us a few weeks later and said that he found the right dog for us. We brought Remington home and had a minor incident but Graham and Remi's trainer, Garick, worked with us, did a reevaluation and helped reassure us that all was well. We've had Remington for just over a year now...he's a great dog, loves to work, and takes good care of us. He the right balance of play and work for us. Graham did a marvelous job of selecting the perfect dog for our needs. Graham, Garick and the rest of the staff were extremely helpful and worked hard to make sure we got the right dog for our family and lifestyle. We would definitely recommend this organization to others. We can't thank them enough for everything they've done. read more

Specialty Dog Training - Remington - Pet Training Near Me - Oceanside, California

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I cannot rave enough about Julie and Specialty Dog Training. They are all very professional and know what they are talking about! After some bumps in the road, Captian my 6 month old doberman went to a month boot camp with Specialty Dog Training. He came back really respecting the collar and leash and us. Yes you will still have to work with your dog after training, especially the smart ones. They will always try to push your boundaries every so often, but the ingrained muscle memories of the commands and what is expected of our furry love ones is still there. Captain was already good on a leash, but he became even better. We are now working towards our Good Canine Citizen certification. We got an update once a week with photo and sometimes video. We have had one follow up class post boot camp to go over any additional issues we may have. Now Captain is 9 months old. Three months post camp.. and all the commands are still there as a good foundation. We are now building onto the commands he has already learned and also some tricks in the process! We have had some slips but that is too be expected when as an owner I sometimes get too busy to give boundaries. If you are good and willing to be consistent with your dog, getting them into this Boot Camp will be one of the most beneficial and long lasting gift you can give your family and your dog. read more

Like most people, our dog is a huge part of our family and we have always enjoyed taking him for long walks and adventures. Unfortunately, about a year ago he started developing leash aggression and protective behaviors such as barking, growling, and lunging at other dogs and people. Our pup, Cruz, is a 5 year old Bouvier Des Flandres and we learned that this is common for the breed. Being a large dog, it was very difficult for us to control him and we started dreading the walks that we used to love so much! We are so thankful that we found Specialty Dog Training and especially thankful for our wonderful trainer, Perry. We opted for the 6 week bootcamp and are proud to say that Cruz was released a week early on good behavior. We can't believe the changes in Cruz's demeanor! It has beyond exceeded our expectations. Cruz's aggression has drastically subsided and we now have tools to maintain this. We can easily take him for walks without having to worry about him lunging at someone or pulling us around town. The training that Perry provided for Cruz also seems to have given him structure and he's all around a happier, less anxious dog. This was truly money well spent! It turns out that you can teach an old dog new tricks. Thank you Perry and Specialty Dog Training! read more

Specialty Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Oceanside, California

We'd tried a couple of other trainers before we tried Nicole at Specialty Dog Training. In just a short time, Nicole had given us the tools we needed to get our boy Hamilton focused and eager to work. We feel much more confident knowing we have Nicole as a resource...and Hamilton feels more confident as well! read more

Had the best experience - finding the right dog for our family and welcoming her into our lives. Our trainer, Nicole made sure to explain everything - to train us appropriately and to help even with suggestions for what to buy. The transfer was seamless and Nicole is a phenomenal dog trainer and dog lover. Highly recommend working with Graham and his team - everyone is there for the right reasons - to help you find and train your right pet. read more

At first glance I was skeptical about leaving my Diesel for 4 weeks or more. Understanding that I trained & raised Heelers before. Me now being older & zero time to "Train" a Husky puppy of 8 mons, and the purpose was to get him to a point of control and possible additional training for PTSD support Dog. Don't hesitate to use these guys Specialty Dog Training and Cassie Bostrom, are the best in the business! I searched everywhere for my Diesel's trainer. Having family pets throughout my life, I knew that the choice I made was similar to adopting a child. I had very specific needs on my want list: Breed, sex, age, specialty training, physical characteristics, personality, and, most of all, a family member to love and be loved by all who visit our home. Specialty Dog Training (Cassie Bostrom) went above, and beyond my expectations in their personal involvement in our dog. The result was perfect. Diesel is the King of our home. The time that he spent at Specialty Dog Training and with the training Cassie, gave her was priceless. We now have a dog that can go anywhere. I could not have accomplished this on my own... I would & will send people to your Training Facilities Specialty Dog Training... Don't hesitate to use these guys... ask question, and they will educate you-Here I thought I knew everything-NOTTT, just kidding. read more

Let me start off by saying I thought my dog Puka was near impossible to even be able to walk him without dragging me the whole way. We signed up for a 4 week boarding/boot camp and we had the honor of having Dustin work as our trainer. As a super crazy dog mom that was constantly worried about Puka my worries were eased because I was getting updates from Dustin letting me know what behaviors they were going to be working on that week and some pictures too! Once it was time to pick up Puka he spent the time teaching me the commands he'd learned and helped make sure I knew the proper way to correct Puka so that I could go home confidently. Once a week for 3 weeks we got free follow up lessons to work on any commands Puka needed. Other trainers recognized him and said hi and it felt that much more personalized. I was able to bring my husband and mom and we probably asked a million questions combined and possible situations we might get ourselves into with Puka and Dustin was able to answer them knowing Puka and how he is. I would recommend this place to ANYONE that has a dog with lots of behavior problems (like mine) or minor things. We haven't been able to attend the weekend group classes yet but once they get started again we will be there every weekend since Dustin will be teaching them! All the trust in the world taking care and working with my fur baby! Thank you Specialty Dog Training, you seriously worked what I consider a miracle read more

Specialty Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Oceanside, California

Nothing but great things to say about the training and attention to detail/care with my dog's board and train. Cassie B treated my pup like her own and that's all you could ask/hope for! read more

Dustin was absolutely incredible with my dog Stanley - a 4yr old 56lb Goldendoodle. I'd been through many trainers before and while all made progress none could quite tame Stanley's reactive barking on leash and in the home. In the home, we had to leave him in another room while we worked (my husband and I both work from home). Now we leave him out to roam all day and can have all the windows open even when we're working! He used to jump on windows when dogs walked by and now he can watch quietly. It's really been amazing. We can also walk on leash by other dogs now without the drama (pulling, barking, whining). We had him stay for a board + train for a month and then did 3 follow up sessions, and those were where Dustin really trained ME and that helped sooooo much. What I loved most is that Dustin wasn't condescending at all. I've had some experiences with trainers in the past where they've made me feel so horrible. Dustin was patient and kind and cared about my dog and really "got" him and was so lovely when teaching ME how to maintain all the great training Stanley got. Dustin was also super available via text and really truly cared. I am SO thankful for this experience and it honestly has changed our lives. read more

I enrolled our 10 month old German Rottie puppy (Kouda) into what I loving call Specialty Dog Training Boot camp. Instinctively Kouda had a fear aggression with people and would go for their leg when they walked away. After 6 weeks with Nicole the Specialty trainer who works with rescue, personal protection dogs and behavior issues such as Kouda is one of the most wonderful trainers we have ever met. Kouda had been through soft training as a puppy and they kicked her out at the first sign of aggression. Nicole changed her behavior and taught us how to be great leader parents. My respect for Nicole's knowledge on all breed and behaviors is at a level 10. She is patient, dog scholarly and great with people (us too). Our pup came home two weeks ago and we are applying all the practices and skills Kouda learned (in German commands by the way) and our once fearful and aggressive pup is amazing! She will never be perfect but Nicole has given us the tools to manage her while setting a strong foundation to do so during the six weeks she spent with Kouda. We are forever grateful and will continue to stay in touch with Specialty and Nicole for future pointers. Your never one and done, this is a life time parent commitment to your fur baby. Separately, the staff that works there also loved on our Kouda Bear in between training so our puppy was never short of attention. This is not a paid review, it comes from the heart! Sharon and Ron Kern read more

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Trust your gut! I've debated on writing this review for over a year now, and after much debate I decided I need others to know what a horrible training experience I had. I paid for the 3 week training program for my GS puppy to learn the basics and hopefully continue to work on skills for him to become my service dog. I was referred to this program from a friend my mother knew from her work, and after calling around, I decided to go with Graham and his facility. The biggest fear I had was that I'd leave Dublin and he'd become a scared puppy. My fear became reality. A few red flags that I should've paid attention to: I was denied access to physically look at the crate area where the dogs slept and after leaving Dublin there, where they spend the majority of their time, not actually training. The "home" like area to train house skills became unavailable during my puppy's stay due to remodeling. This was not mentioned when I took the tour, and not until I picked Dublin up did I find out he was never trained in that situation. I was sent a text message in the end of the second week stating Dublin was going to the vet for bloodshot eyes perhaps due to allergies. I gave Stephen the trainer the benefit of the doubt and waited for the vet to share her findings. When she called me to describe her concerns, she said he was pulled around his neck so tightly that it gave him bloodshot eyes. So basically they choked him out because I presume he was not following directions- isn't this what I was paying them to do?! Train him, not choke him until his blood vessels break in his eyes. The vet advised that he not use any type of collar for a week following the incident. I immediately sent a text to Graham the owner and had to wait until the following day for his response. He stated that Stephen was his head trainer, the most knowledgeable, and very passionate about dogs, he didn't feel that the vet was accurate. Stephen stated he didn't pulled him. I decided to believe both Graham and Stephen and continued with the week without collar training and only the use of a harness. Graham offered an additional week due to not being able to use a prong collar and saying basically no training went on during that week of healing the vet required. The day of pick up came and I literally felt like Dublin was sad, dirty, and untrained. Part of the drop off process is to create a list of ten skills you'd like your dog to know at pick up. It is stated that 5-7 is a more likely goal during the training. Dublin was barely able walk on a leash. That's it. He stilled jumped, wouldn't stay in place continuously, couldn't jump in my car, jumped on the counters, mouthed, and was so anxious it was hard to see, as that was my fear. I asked Stephen, as I was leaving, if he could jump in my car. He said- he tried once, but didn't get to it. Stephen proceeded to open my door and physically try to pull him into my 4Runner, until I told him to stop. He was literally showing me how he gave him bloodshot eyes the first time! Since this horrible experience, I've been trying to build trust again with Dublin, calm his anxiety, and train him to complete basic tasks. With that said, Dublin has picked up more with me training him at home after watching different YouTube videos, then he could ever learn at that facility. I refuse to go back for the 3 follow up training sessions offered in the contract due to the negative feeling both Dublin and I have with Stephen and the facility. Now, I'd like to say that the major reason I chose this place was due to the personal referral I received, and the fact that they run the Shelter to Soldier service dog training program for military vets. With this said, I'm sure they have more success with this training program due to the fact that the trainers choose the dogs with the type of personalities that are easily trainable. If your dog is a strong willed German Shepherd, I suggest you stay far, far away from this facility and it's trainers. read more

Specialty Dog Training - Dublin staying in his "place" for a picture. - Pet Training Near Me - Oceanside, California

Awesome results from Rebekah Manning. She worked my adopted GSD mix pup in overcoming his behavior issues. He had reactivity to humans and dogs due to not being g properly socialized during the critical weeks. Now the transition is in real life, outside of the facility. I'm currently setting myself as the leader my pup Jack needs. Maintaining the rules that were established in training. I'm still trying to read Jack as potential triggers may set him off. But walking him in the public is so much better than before. I can walk him with a person in front and behind him. Previously I had to walk him around 5am, afternoon (with anxiety), then after 11pm. Less people and dogs we could walk, not ideal. I'm still working with Jack on trusting me, when someone approaches us head on. His trainer has made it clear that if I have any questions or concerns to reach out. I appreciate the feedback provided how to communicate better with Jack since I'm a novice. So if any of the issues sound familiar, consider the investment into your relationship. read more

I had the worst experience of my life here , my pitbull was brought here to be educated and behaved and I know with time and patience and CARE it would have happend.My dog was there for over a month. When it was my dog Ziggy last week there hes trainer Perry said he was not able to socialize my dog with other dogs , and asking me for more money. Mind you I payed a lot of money for this place (about $2,600) after he called me asking for more time plus more money I was very upset , I told him that I didn't have more to give I had spend so much.When I went to pick Ziggy up he knew the basic sit, lay which he already knew . I took him home so skinny it was a different dog.The whole night he was super sick with a bad cold I'd never seen a cold on a dog like that . He was so skinny. I called upset that same week they didn't do anything, seems to me they just had him in cage locked in, and he wasn't eating (never got a update of that part)worst place it was really hard to see my dog like that. Don't take your dog there especially a pitbull. 0 stars!!!!! read more

Cassie was very helpful with our dog during his 6 week stay and we left feeling more confident with new tools and knowledge to better handle our reactive black lab mix. read more

I was amazed by the results that we got from our 1 year old golden Rufio. We did the 4 week boot camp and I'm so happy I choose specialty dog training. Rufio pulled on the leash and there wasn't a dog or human he did t want to go say hi too. He listened when he wanted too. For the hour training at pick up I was amazed at the results. Honestly my words don't do it justice. I noticed that Rufio loved his trainer Alayna and had bonded very nicely with her. It was clear that Alayna cared for our dog by how they treated each other. He doesn't pull, he listens, and most importantly of all he happy and confident. I would recommend Alayna to anyone interested in being able to take your pup anywhere stress and anxiety free. read more

Specialty Dog Training - Rufio - Pet Training Near Me - Oceanside, California

End of 2020 I got a silver lab named Quinn and she is my first dog. She is very smart but gets easily distracted (honestly very similar to me ). I reached out to Specialty Dog Training to discuss options with teaching her leadership skills for better success around distractions. Cassie, specifically, guided me through the entire process including scheduling. I wasn't able to get Quinn in for her board and train until 4 months after booking which to me was a good sign showing the demand was high and they are dedicated to the animals. When I dropped Quinn off for her first day, Cassie walked me through the entire process with care and empathy knowing I was just dropping my bestie off for 4 weeks. At the end of each week I received updated progress videos of Quinn and Cassie working together so I was confident Quinn was getting the attention she needed throughout the entire process. Cassie was even kind enough to send me a video of Quinn playing fetch enjoying her time and being her spunky self. With each update the weeks flew by and before I knew it I was picking Quinn up. The pick up process was a little intimidating but Cassie was phenomenal at talking me through Quinn's commands, positive reinforcement, and when/how to give corrections. Quinn was so happy and so confident and I knew Cassie treated her as if she was her own. An added layer was that Quinn had entered her first heat cycle so Cassie was able to help me understand training at home with an *emotional* dog. The follow up sessions were also great so Cassie could talk me through any improvements I needed to make as Quinn's owner to ensure we can have the best relationship where we are both happy. Fast forward to today I still text Cassie from time to time showing her improvements Quinn has made. This distracted dog can now go on off leash walks without me worried of her bolting after a crow. All of these words to say I was very impressed with Cassie from beginning to end and overall would recommend Speciality Dog Training to anyone looking for a board and train program. *photo of little miss Quinn in her "place"* read more

Specialty Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Oceanside, California

We contacted Graham and had very specific needs for him and the staff. We were looking for an emotional support dog, does not shed, medium sized and a confident personality. Graham found us Gwynn who is the perfect dog for our family and we have enjoyed him very much. This did not happen overnight as Gwynn was easily distracted, did not follow commands and was a typical puppy that was far away from being an ESA. We dropped Gwynn off in mid July and I had my doubts if he would be able to hit his benchmarks and ultimately pass the CGC. I want to compliment Danielle for her diligent work during his stay. She is an expert, always available to help, gave us realistic strategies that work in our home and truly cares about Gwynn. She held Gwynn accountable at all times, stuck to the plan and we have a well trained puppy that is a great ESA and passed the CGC. I highly recommend Specialty Dog Training and want to thank Danielle. read more

Specialty Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Oceanside, California

The staff did an excellent job with our Vizsla puppy. They were loving, enthusiastic, and worked with her personality to accomplish some basic training skills. She stayed for three weeks, and we timed it to coordinate with a family vacation so it was a win-win. read more

Julie has been fabulous! An enthusiastic dog trainer, Julie points out your dog's strengths and weaknesses and creates a realistic program for your goals. I received biweekly texts, pictures and goals for the week. and was thrilled to collect him after a month of boot camp yesterday. We have another 8 weeks of Saturday morning classes to reinforce the basics before he will take a therapy dog international test. Hamilton is hoping to come to work with me (a nurse practitioner) at a TBI clinic for active duty service members at Camp Pendleton. We are thrilled to be on our way to realizing this goal for early April 2020! Thank you Julie! read more

Specialty Dog Training - Julie, an exceptional trainer and Hamilton - Pet Training Near Me - Oceanside, California

We have no idea about Charlie's background but we think he was a street dog before we adopted him. We had several trainers trying to help us with him but he continued to be very reactive towards people on our walks and no one could come into the house. (He loved dogs tho!). We received several recommendations for SDT and we are so happy that Charlie got to work with Cassie. He is so different, and in a very good way. Our silly dog is still there but he has calmed down significantly. There was no way we could have trained him without her. She's a lifesaver!! read more

We contacted Specialty Dog Training, amongst several other training facilities, in regards to some behavioral issues we were experiencing with our nearly 1 year old pup, Oliver. After our initial call with Speciality Dog Training we knew this was the facility we wanted to go with and while it was a little pricier than some others we were looking at, their staff explained the training process in a way the other facilities didn't. This helped us feel more at ease with moving forward with the training as well as gave us the confidence that our desired results would be achieved. Prior to his training, getting Oliver to listen to commands in public settings was nearly impossible and taking him on walks was never easy as he would bark, growl & pull towards any other people/dogs we'd walk past. After 6 weeks of training with Cassie, we can now confidently take Oliver on walks without him reacting to other people/dogs. We are also so confident in his ability to listen to commands in public settings that we have even done some off leash play with him at some of our neighborhood parks. It has definitely been life changing for us and a big weight has been lifted off our shoulders! Cassie provided us with weekly updates on Oliver's progress throughout his training, which definitely helped keep us at ease. And while Oliver learned a lot in his training, we as owners learned a lot in our sessions as well. Cassie demonstrated everything he learned and gave us all of the right tools to continue with his training at home. Definitely recommend Specialty Dog Training! read more

Specialty Dog Training - Photo Cassie sent us of Oliver in one of his weekly progress updates! - Pet Training Near Me - Oceanside, California